I glanced at Mal, her face still a mix of confusion and lingering fear. “We have to go,” I said, turning to Warwick. “Where is it?”
Warwick didn’t waste time. “Follow me. But keep quiet. We can’t draw attention.” He started moving quickly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure we were following.
Mal hesitated for a moment, clearly not wanting to be left out, but after a moment, she fell in step behind us. “What’s going on?” she whispered.
“Something bad,” I muttered under my breath, not wanting to explain more until I knew what we were dealing with.
We weaved our way through the school grounds, slipping out through a side gate that led toward the woods. The tension in the air was thick, and my heart raced with every step. Warwick stayed ahead, moving with purpose, his eyes sharp and focused.
When we reached the edge of the woods, he stopped, signaling for us to be quiet. “It’s just up ahead,” he whispered. “Stay close.”
We followed him into the trees, the shadows deepening as we moved farther away from the school. The forest was eerily silent, and my stomach churned with unease. After a few minutes of walking, Warwick slowed, his hand raised to stop us.
“There,” he whispered, pointing toward a small clearing.
I squinted, trying to make out what he was showing us. At first, I didn’t see anything, but as we got closer, I saw it-lying motionless on the ground, partially hidden by the underbrush.
I stepped closer, my breath catching in my throat as I got a better look. The wolf lay on its side, fur matted with blood, deep scars crisscrossing its body. I recognized it immediately-it was the same wolf we had fought yesterday. But I didn’t kill it. Something else had gotten to it.
Mal gasped behind me, her eyes wide. “Is it…?”
“Yes,” I whispered, kneeling down to examine the wounds. “But these scars… they’re different. They’re from another wolf, but not like any I’ve seen before.”
Warwick frowned, his gaze dark and serious. “Something stronger. Something dangerous.”
I stood up, wiping my hands on my jeans. “What could’ve done this?”
Warwick shook his head. “I don’t know. But whatever it was, it’s not far. We need to be careful.”
I took a deep breath, focusing my mind. “Stand back,” I said softly.
Warwick and Mal stepped away as I knelt beside the wolf’s body. I muttered the incantation under my breath, my hands hovering over the blood-stained fur. The air around the wolf shimmered faintly, and slowly, the body began to fade from sight, blending into the earth beneath it until it vanished completely.
“There,” I whispered, standing up. “No one will find it now.”
Mal’s eyes widened as she stared at the spot where the wolf had been. “What did you just do?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Relax,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm. “It’s magic.”
“Great, so you’re a witch now?” she shot back, her fear morphing into a mix of disbelief and annoyance.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not like that. I’m not a witch. It’s just… complicated.”
“Complicated how?” she pressed, glancing between me and Warwick. “Because that looked pretty witchy to me.”
I ignored Mal’s questions and glanced at Warwick. “We should head back to school. It’s not safe out here.”
Warwick nodded, his expression serious. “Agreed. We can’t linger. If something attacked that wolf, it could be a threat to us too.”
“Yeah, but what about-” Mal started, but I cut her off.
“Mal, we need to move. We can talk about this later,” I said, already turning to head back toward the edge of the woods.
She hesitated, clearly wanting to protest, but finally fell in step behind me. “Fine, but I still want answers.”
As we made our way back through the trees, the atmosphere felt heavier with each step. I could sense Warwick’s curiosity, and I knew he wouldn’t let the matter drop.
Warwick broke the silence first. “How did you do that? That… magic you just used.”
I hesitated, weighing my options. Logan’s warning echoed in my mind.
“I… I just know how to make things disappear,” I said, keeping my tone casual.
Warwick raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with my answer. “You can’t just make things disappear. I’ve read about magic in books and seen it in movies, but that looked real.”
I shrugged, trying to downplay it. “Maybe they don’t give all the details. Most of what you see is just fantasy.”
I quickly shifted the topic, sensing the tension rising. “Anyway, what do you think happened to that wolf? Do you think it was an attack from another pack?”
Warwick frowned, considering my question. “It’s possible. But the scars didn’t look like a typical fight between wolves. There was something almost… methodical about it.”
Mal interjected, her curiosity piqued despite her earlier fear. “You mean like it was hunted or something? That’s messed up.”
Warwick nodded. “Exactly. This wasn’t just a territorial dispute. Whatever did this was strong and deliberate.”
I glanced back toward the woods, feeling uneasy. “So we could have a rogue wolf on our hands?”
“Or something worse,” Warwick replied.
We hurried back to school, trying to be quiet.
As we reached the edge of the woods, I spotted the school building in the distance. Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. A loud voice interrupted our thoughts.
“Hey! You three!”
We turned to see Ms. Daniels, the assistant principal, striding toward us, arms crossed and a frown on her face. “Where have you been? You’re supposed to be in class.”
Warwick exchanged a quick glance with me and Mal, panic evident in his eyes. “Uh, we were just-”
Ms. Daniels cut him off. “No excuses. You all know the rules. You’re not allowed to wander off the school grounds during school hours.”
Mal opened her mouth to protest, but I put a hand on her shoulder, silencing her. “We’re sorry, Ms. Daniels. We just needed some fresh air.”
She raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying our excuse. “Fresh air? It’s a little more than that, isn’t it? Come with me.”
As we followed her back to the school, I felt my stomach twist. The last thing we needed was to be caught sneaking around, especially after what we’d just witnessed.
Once inside, Ms. Daniels led us to the detention room, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. “You can think about your actions in here,” she said, pushing the door open. “And if I hear about any more trouble, you’ll face bigger consequences.”